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I. Cults vs. Religious Sect

Religious Sect: generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.

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A cult is often a group with a limited number of followers and whose practices may be shrouded in mystery and harmful to both members and nonmembers.

Harmful acts and characteristics may include, but are not limited to…

a) Brainwashing
b) Financial exploitation
c) Extreme and powerful mind control over members
d) Extreme deception used on members and/or nonmembers
e) Extreme withdrawal from or overindulgence in corporeal pleasures.
f) Animal sacrifices
g) Human sacrifices
h) Lack of empathy for members and/or nonmembers
i) Sex crimes
j) Unquestioned belief in the members’ morality (e.g. it’s not murder or suicide… it’s sacrifice!)
k) Deceptive and sometimes harsh indoctrination

Four stages of cult indoctrination

1) Softening-up Stage: victim is showered with affection and praise during moments of weakness.

2) Compliance: victim starts testing the waters of the cult’s practices.

3) Internalization: victim starts to believe the ideas of the cult.

4) Consolidation: victim demonstrates unconditional allegiance to the cult.

Movement from stage 1 all the way to stage 4: Key Factors…

People who are lost in life, looking for meaning, suffered a major loss, etc., are easy targets for cults.

Individuals are more likely to conform to a cult when their indoctrination into the cult is difficult or intense.

The Foot in the Door tactic: making a small request first, and, once it is agreed to, following it with a second larger request.

Heaven’s Gate CULT

American UFO religious cult based near San Diego, California.
Founded in 1974; led by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles
On March 26, 1997, police discovered the bodies of 39 members of the group in a house (each in their own bunk-bed)
Committed mass suicide in order to reach what an extraterrestrial spacecraft following Comet Hale–Bopp.
Members took phenobarbital mixed with apple sauce and vodka. Additionally, they secured plastic bags around their heads after ingesting the mix to induce asphyxiation.

Branch Davidians CULT

Leader: David Koresh
led the Branch Davidians in a deadly 51-day standoff against the FBI and the ATF.
He and followers built an "Army of God" by stockpiling weapons in preparation for the Apocalypse.
February 28, 1993, ATF raided the Davidians' compound outside of Waco, Texas, resulting in 51-day siege.
The standoff ended when the compound erupted in flames on April 19; Koresh shot himself, dozens found dead.

The People’s Temple

Led by Jim Jones - self-proclaimed messiah promising followers utopia if they followed him.
Jonestown: compound in Guyana in northern South America.
Conducted “suicide drills” waking up followers in middle of the night, giving them a cup of red Koolaid to drink. 45 min later he would tell them it was just a loyalty drill.
November 1978 Congressman Ryan from California along with NBC correspondent, cameraman, and photographer were shot and killed on the compound.
Cyanide and Valium mixed into batch of grape-flavored drink mix to make a toxic punch distributed to the members. The first to die were the children and those who refused to drink were forced to by armed guards. In all, more than 900 people died at Jonestown—276 of them were children.

Manson Family Cult

Led by Charles Manson
Followers “The Manson Family” though to have carried out upwards of 35 murders; several of notorious origin in the 60s.
shared his passion for an unconventional lifestyle and habitual use of hallucinogenic drugs, such as LSD and mushrooms.
Impressionable young girls believed he was Jesus and his prophecy of a race war
Manson himself took no part in the actual killings, he directed four of his most obedient followers to carry out the murders.

Unification Church

Religious sect led by Sun Myung Moon born in North Korea
Followers called “Moonies”
claimed to be a Messiah; said that when he was fifteen years old Jesus anointed him to carry out his unfinished work by becoming parent to all of humanity.
carried out mass weddings and blessings
convicted in the United States of filing false federal income tax returns and conspiracy